FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING !!

Was driving around and saw these flowers.  They are finally blooming.  Spring is here !!

Marilyn Message

It is after 2:49 in the morning and I am in terrible stomach pain. I may be calling the ambulance and going to the hospital.  If so, there will not be a post Thursday or Saturday.  I don't know about next week.

Marilyn

MY BROTHER GEORGE

Today, would have been my brother George's 82 Birthday, if he were still with us, so I thought I would tell a bit about him.

George was born April 17, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois.  My parents moved to California during the war and then to Palmyra, NY.  George graduated from High School in Palmyra and worked his way through Paul Smith College in Upstate New York.  During High School and college, he played football.

After college he worked for Commercial Credit Corporation.  He was drafted in the U.S. Army during the Korean War Conflict.  At first, he was stationed in Oklahoma.  I was little then, I can remember my parents and I driving out to see him one summer.  Next year he got transfered to Arizona and we went out again.

He married my sister-in-law, Jean after his basic training.  While they were in Arizona, they had my first niece Patricia.

After service, he came back to Palmyra where he opened an Insurance Agency, which he ran for several years.  My Dad was in the Real Estate Business and George was in the Insurance Business.  While in Palmyra George and Jean had my nephew Michael and my niece, Linda.

The family liked to go camping, fishing, and boating.  My brother also liked bowling.  They started out camping in a tent and they hauled a boat behind them.  Eventually, gone went the tent and little boat - they bought a thirty some foot cruiser on which they spent their weekends.  Being in New York  you can't use a boat in the winter - so in 1968, they decided to move to Florida.

There my brother got a sales job during the day and started an accounting tax business at home in the evening.  Eventually, his business grew that the accounting and tax business became his full time job.  Over the years, it kept growing until it is a well know business in St. Petersburg. Eventually, he sold it when he retired.

In the late 1970's he and his wife divorced, but remained good friends.  It was almost 30 years before he married again.

Oh, he had a cruiser, which was his hobby.  He and my nephew would go fishing or scuba diving.  I still remember the many rides we had out in that boat.  The boat name was: Edelweiss.

My parents, brother Bob and family and I had moved to Florida.  My Mother was in a nursing home and passed on George's 60th birthday.  George was on a cruise and somehow my nephew Michael, got a hold of the ship and George flew back.  I asked him if it bothered him.  He said Mom had been sick so long and it was her time to go. He would miss her, but she was a peace now and not suffering anymore.

After his retirement, he spent a great deal of time on cruises, trips or on his boat.  He loved to travel and had the means to do it.  Also, spent lots of time with his children and grandchildren.  He met his second wife, Sherri.

  When I started school, he was in college.  We loved each other.  When my Dad passed, I moved back up north.  We had our family disagreements.  Like I said once before a while back, we were the like the Ewing's on Dallas.  We could disagree among ourselves, but when someone outside our family said or did something against one of us - we were united.

George passed away four months before I found out.  I had a post about that, at the time.  My brother, Bob, had passed away years before and George was all I had left.  Now he is gone.  I miss my brothers and my parents.

Happy Birthday, George,
Marilyn

HAPPY EASTER - HE HAS RISEN

HAPPY EASTER,
Jean, David and Family
Bishop Joseph,, Martha and Family
Bishop Eli, Emma and Family
Elmer, Anna and Family
Olive, Albert and Family
Porter and Family
Marilyn

ELMER'S EASTER POST

Lent through to  Easter are the most Holy time of the religious year.  Have your ever stopped to think that the Lord created us.  Each and every one of us.  Then, because we are sinners, He sent His son to die for us.  This shows the love that the Lord has for each and every one of us.

Each and every one is different.  I know people say that we Amish are all alike.  In some ways we are.  We all drive buggies, we all dress alike and in most ways, we all live alike, but each and every one of us is a different person.  Just look at Bishop Eli and I.  He is over 6 foot tall and I just make four feet tall with by boots on.

Also personalities are different.  Different people look a life different ways.  Some have a great sense of humor.  Some are more serious.  Some seldom anger.  Some come to anger often.  Some are special people who need special aides and help.  This does not just for the Amish, but the Old Order Mennonite and Englishers, too.  We are all different and yet - we are all one if we know and love the Lord and realize how much the Lord loves us.

Are we worthy of this love from the Lord?  Of course not.  But He gives it to us anyway.  We are His children.  Even people who do not know the Lord are His creations, His children and have His love.  He sent His son to die on the cross for those who do not know Him, too.

Sometimes the Lord shows His love to us in a beautiful sunrise or sunset for flowers blooming or answering our prayer the way we want or giving us a gift. These we see.  But He is also with us in sickness, financial problems, in our sadness and even in death.

Now, I can hear you saying, Elmer we know this.  What is your point?  My point is do you share this love?  Do you pray for those who do not know the Lord?  Do you pray for the sick?  Do you help a neighbor in need - whether you agree with their religious beliefs or not?  Do you share the love of the Lord?

I also hear some say that they are not physicaly able to help others.  They are handicapped.  Yes you can - you can pray.  Prayer is so powerful - more powerful than we know.  Pray for you needs, of course, but all the needs of other.  As I said before, pray for those that don't know the Lord.  Prayer for anyone or anything you can think of.

Sometimes when Anna and I are home alone and praying, we make sort of game out of it.  We try to think of people or things to pray for that we would not normally think to pray for.  Some of them are very serious like for world peace, that people repent to the Lord, for the sick and less fortunate, thanking for the succcess of our crops.  Others are maybe somewhat silly things like for letting me find the mince pie that Anna had hidden on me so I wouldn't eat to much in one sitting or even the toilet paper we bought.  We should thank the Lord or all things and we try to think things up that we don't normally thank Him for.

I guess the meaning of my Easter post is: God Loves you.  He created you and had His son die for you.  Do you share His love?

Happy Easter,
Elmer, Anna and Family
Bishop Eli, Emma and Family
Bishop Joseph, Martha and Family
David, Jean and Family
Marilyn

P.S.
We are all back from Pinecraft safe and sound.

Elmer and Anna

THE LAST SUPPER

                                                          HOLY THURSDAY
                                                          MAUDY THURSDAY

A FRIEND'S PICTURES

A friend of mine wanted me to put these pictures on here, so here they are.  The top two butterfly pictures were handmade for her by a friend. The third one is one my friend made herself.  The last was done by an artist friend of hers.  She said she liked it, so for her birthday, her friend gave it to her.